NORTHERN ADVENTURES.
It was the usual dilemma regarding where to go for the ubiquitous mid-term break in February this year. The children had a week’s holiday from school and we had been in Thailand just over a year. Our brood of 7 (2 adults and 5 children) had already been blessed with the opportunity to grace the shores of Phuket, Koh Samui and Hua Hin and we were ready for a change from the usual beach holidays we had been enjoying up until then. 
I had read somewhere that the best time to visit the north of Thailand was in the “winter” months from November to February, when all the wildflowers are in bloom, so the mid-term break seemed a perfect time to go. The advent of low price airlines meant that it was also reasonable to fly there and back- even for a family as big as ours!
CHIANG MAI.
The trip up to Chiang Mai took just under an hour by plane, whilst our driver (who is originally from Chiang Mai) took about 8 hours to get up there by car. We had decided to stay at the Sheraton Hotel, as it has the biggest hotel rooms in the city, and we all fitted comfortably into 2 rooms there. The hotel looks onto the Ping River, and all of its rooms offer expansive river views. Although it is only a 5 minute drive to the Night Bazaar and City Centre, those of you who would like to be walking distance from these attractions may prefer to stay at a smaller boutique hotel called “Tamarind Village”. It had been recommended to me by several friends, but the accommodation on offer was not suitable for a large family such as ours.
Chiang Mai, or “The Rose of Northern Thailand”, is the Kingdom’s second largest city and it is the perfect base from which to venture on short trips to the hilltribe villages or longer excursions to Chiang Rai, Myanmar and Southern China. 
Northern Thailand offers a wide variety of activities including shopping, with bargains to be had when buying Northern Hilltribe products, Celadon,handmade silver, carved teak wood products and gemstones.
As we had the children with us, we were limited in so far as the amount of shopping we could indulge in , (a good thing, according to my husband!!) so we opted to spend our 4 days in Chiang Mai doing more family-centred activities, of which the city has plenty.
OUR ITINERARY..
The first day we spent visiting the Chiang Mai Zoo, which is famous for its Chinese panda exhibit. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of going on a Sunday, and there were so many people crowded in front of the viewing window that it was difficult to get a peak of the 2 Giant Pandas! From what I could gauge, they seemed to spend most of their time eating and sleeping, not unlike our very own koala bears!
The Zoo is quite spread out, so it would be a good idea to bring your car , as it can be very hot walking from one exhibit to the next over the rocky and undulating terrain. Try to make it to the show, which starts at 11am. every day. Despite the fact that it was in Thai, the children all enjoyed watching the antics of the various animals on stage. Apparently, they are opening a Night Safari there this month, and that would also be an enjoyable activity to do with the children if you have time.
The next day we ventured out to see the Wat Phra Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai’s most important and visible landmark. This temple is 15 kilometres from town, 3,520 feet above sea level, and dates from 1383. This most sacred of temples is approached on foot by climbing a steep Naga staircase comprising 290 steps. (My children enjoyed counting them as we went!)
The temple’s pagoda contains holy Buddha relics , including a beautiful Emerald Buddha, and attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world. From the top, we enjoyed the panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside.
If you forget to cover your shoulders and legs as I did, they have wrap around skirts and dresses for hire at the entrance to the pagoda. Just one word of advice: beware of the pedlars displaying their wares at the base of the temple’s steps… they can be quite aggressive!!
From here, it is a short drive to the Doi Pui Tribal Village, where you can witness the typical lifestyle of the Hmong People, and visit the Huai Kaeo Waterfall.
That afternoon, we enjoyed a swim at the hotel’s pool and the children ate their dinner poolside. You can order form a wide range of Asian and Western dishes and we found this also to be a good time to indulge in a pre-dinner cocktail by the pool!
Once we had the children settled, my husband and I drove 5 minutes into town to one of the restaurants that had been recommended to us on the banks of the Ping River. “The Gallery” is set in a beautiful teak house with an original mural relief façade, dating back over a hundred years. We thoroughly enjoyed our Thai meal here, and we chose to eat outside, surrounded by lush vegetation with a beautiful view of the city lights and the river.
Other restaurants which I can recommend in Chiang Mai are:
“The House” (fusion cuisine, stunning setting and atmosphere)
“Il Forno” ( very cheap, Italian, wonderful pizza)
“Chez Gribus” ( French, authentic, very good food, casual setting) and
“Le Grand Lanna” ( This is the Thai restaurant at the newly opened Oriental Devi Hotel- expensive, but worth it, and you can have a browse around this stunning hotel as well!)
Our third day in Chiang Mai was the highlight of our holiday, as far as our children were concerned! A short drive to the north-east of the city will bring you to the Mae Sa Valley. Here, waterfalls , working elephant camps, butterfly farms, orchid nurseries and a charming private museum called “The Mae Sa House Collection” ( with prehistoric artefacts and Sukhothai ceramics, among other things) vie for the visitor’s attention. We spent a full day here, and the children especially enjoyed watching the elephants at work at the Mae Sa Elephant Camp.
Try to arrive early if you go, as it gets very hot in the middle of the day. Also, ring to check first what time the shows are on, as you would not want to miss out on this! Firstly, you can watch the elephants bathe in the river, after which they perform a truly amazing show aimed at showing the crowd how the elephants are trained to help in logging work. Much to our delight, some of the elephants painted Impressionistic creations with their trunks on canvas and even engaged in an hilarious game of soccer afterwards!
You can buy bananas and sugar cane to feed the elephants or go on an hour’s trek through the camp’s leafy environs. We also visited the Elephant Nursery, and I literally had to tear the children away from the baby elephants when it was time to leave!
A nice place to have lunch in this area (once you have washed the children’s hands, of course!) is a restaurant called “ Pong Yang”, located in the “ Pong Yang Ang Doi” resort. 
Be sure to book a table overlooking the waterfall – the view is sensational and the restaurant has a lovely rustic charm about it.
Other things I would recommend to do during your stay in Chiang Mai are:
- A visit to Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand, at 2,565 feet above sea level.
- Tour the Old City, temples, and the “ Chiang Mai Cultural Centre”, which has an excellent collection of Lanna Thai art and displays of traditional Northern culture. It is worth going to the 7pm. show , where you can watch folk dances from Northern Thailand whilst sitting cross legged at your table enjoying a typical Northern “ Khantoke Dinner.”
- Sankamphaeng Road, to the east of the city, is the area’s handicrafts village, and well worth a visit. Along this road is the Bo Sang Umbrella Village, which specializes in the making of umbrellas from colourful dyed saa paper. Further on , at km. 13, you can also visit the Weaving Village, where silk and first class cotton are woven on looms, and a Thai celadon factory with an array of precious green ceramics at km. 6.
- Our children enjoyed our visit to the “Hot Springs” park at km. 23. It was an oasis of tranquility (before our arrival anyway!) and the children could run to their heart’s content amongst the masses of beautiful wildflowers. You can bathe in the hot springs if you’re game, take a relaxing massage or buy some eggs, boil them in the hot springs, and eat them as part of your picnic lunch, as we did.
- Last, but far from least, no visit to Chiang Mai is complete without a visit to the colourful Night Bazaar in the Old City. Here, you can pick up some interesting souvenirs to take back to your friends and family, and it is a good place to shop for Northern products in particular.
CHIANG RAI.
After four days in Chiang Mai, we were ready to move on, and the 3-4 hour drive heading north-east through the mountains to Chiang Rai was very picturesque. In the heart of the famous Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai is Thailand’s northernmost province and it offers tours into the bordering countries of Myanmar and Laos, along the Mekong River.
We had opted to stay at the Dusit Island Resort, which is located on its own island on the Kok River, a short drive from the city centre. Once again, we were very pleased with the quality and service at this hotel and I can recommend it to families. Our 2 rooms were spacious and overlooked the river and the enormous swimming pool.
The city itself is about 725 years old, and there are several temples of note to visit, but we preferred to spend our time visiting the surrounding area. Our first day here, we headed north towards Mae Sai, and about 12 kms. from Chiang Rai, we saw a turn-off to the “ Union of Hilltribe Villages, and decided to go and investigate! After an interesting trek down a dusty dirt road, we arrived at the villages ,
where we were able to see Akha, Yao, Lisu, Palong, Lahu and Long Necked Karen hilltribe people in their traditional costumes and rural homes. It was a good experience for the children to see the living conditions of these people, and I was invited to join in a traditional dance with some of the ladies, whilst the men accompanied us on their wooden musical instruments. That was a Kodak moment to remember!
Afterwards, we continued on to Mae Sai, at the northernmost point on the border with Myanmar, for some fun shopping. Crossing into the Burmese town of Tachilek is a stone’s throw from Mae Sai and very popular with Thai and foreign tourists alike. You can buy a day pass for $5 U.S. and you must leave your passports at the crossing point. Our bargains at the Tachilek market included a flashlight that needs no batteries and various other toys and electronic games for the children.
Driving south, another interesting place to visit in this area is Doi Toong Palace, the Royal Residence of the Princess Mother, which sits high on a hill surrounded by glorious gardens.
The next day, we headed north-east towards the ancient capital of Chiang Saen, which nestles near where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet. This area, known as the Golden Triangle, has for years produced a considerable part of the world’s opium supply. On the way to Chiang Saen you will pass the “ Hall of Opium “ museum which is definitely worth a visit. The interesting exhibits, some of which are interactive, made it fun for the children to learn more about the history, cultivation and trade of the opium poppy.
Once arrived at Chiang Saen, we enjoyed a panoramic buffet lunch on the large terrace of the “ Imperial Golden Triangle Hotel” overlooking the Mekong River, Myanmar and Laos, and enjoying a few beers in the process!
From here, you can take one of the longtail boats along the 12 th longest river in the world, passing in front of “ The Paradise “, a Burmese Casino frequented mainly by Thais who want to engage in a spot of gambling across the border , before spending some time ashore on a small island belonging to Laos in the middle of the Mekong. Here, you can shop to your heart’s content at the Laotian market stalls selling everything from preserved cobras in bottles to Australia’s Penfolds wines!!
Another interesting trip you can do easily from the Dusit Hotel is to flag down one of the passing longtail boats and ask them to take you for a ride down the Kok River to visit the Karen Hilltribe Village and Elephant Camp. After an hour’s boat ride passing through lovely scenery, we enjoyed feeding the elephants, and the children were amazed to see the collection of pythons and boa constrictors there. One of these giant boas was slithering around on top of one of the cages, and the children loved being able to stroke its cool skin and even posed for a photo with it wrapped around them!
After a week spent travelling around the North of Thailand, we were ready to rediscover the comforts of home and I had arranged a return flight back from Chiang Rai with Thai Air Asia at a reasonable price whilst our poor driver had to undergo a 9-10 hour trip home with all our luggage and shopping in tow!! This is definitely one of the areas of Thailand I would recommend you all to visit before you leave the country. The rugged hills, forests, antique temples, unique traditional handicrafts and colourful hilltribe villages make it a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of life in Bangkok.
If you are planning a trip, here are some sources which you may find useful:
Check out the website www.chiangmainews.com
Buy the Nancy Chandler Map of Chiang Mai and pocket guide before you go. It is available from the bookshop above Villa 33.
Bon Voyage!
Vanessa Stevens.